bubnham



(No Model.)

A. M. BURNHAM. I PAN LIFTER. AND TURNER.

FIGJII- N, PETERS. phm-umgn m. Walhhglon. 0,0

pointed out in the claims, being first fully de- UNITED STATES PATENTFries.

ARTHUR MI BURNHAM, OF GARDINER, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLESGIFFORD,

or SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,965, dated November8, 1887.

7 Application filed November18, 1886. Serial No. 219,308. (No-model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I-, ARTHUR M. BURNHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gardiner, in the county of Kennebec and State of Maine, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Pan Lifters andTurners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device for liftingpie-plates for either placing them in or removing them from the oven andfor turningthem around while within the oven, in order to present allsides toward the fire-back, or that side of the oven from which radiatesthe greatest amount of heat.

The invention consists in certain features of novelty, which arehereinafter particularly scribed with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure I is a perspective view of the improved lifterand turner,,the positions which the parts occupy while supporting aplate being shown by the full lines and the positions to which they arebrought preparatory to grasping a plate being shown by dotted lines.Fig. II is a section taken through the axis of the handle. Fig. III is atransverse sect-ion of the handle at III III, Fig. II. Fig. IV is aperspective view, in detail, of one of the parts removed. I

1 represents the handle, one end of which is notched, as at 2, wherebytwo lugs or gudgeons, 3, are formed, which are perforated to formjournal-bearings for a hollow shaft, 4, whose lower end is enlargedlaterally into a circular head, 5, and whose upper end is held fromdisplacement by a flange or collar, 6, slipped over its end and securedby upsetting or otherwise.

7 represents grapplingarms, each of which is suitably hinged at one endto the circular head 6 and formed at the other with a hook, 8, forengaging beneath the rim of the plate. These arms may be variouslyformed and hinged to the head 6 without departing from the spirit of myinvention. The form shown in the drawings is, however, preferred, forthe reason that it is simple, efi'ective, and comparatively inexpensive.It consists of apiece of wire of the requisite strength, bent in themiddle to form the hook 8, its extremities being passed throughperforationsv through the enlarged head 5 and bent into ring shape, so

'as to prevent their displacement and at the same time permit of theirfree movement.

9 is a rod passing through the hollow shaft 4,and provided at its lowerextremity with an enlarged head, 10, its upper extremity being connectedto one end of a bentlever, 1l,which is fulcrumed at about its mid-lengthto the 6-3 handle 1. The head 10 is here shown as consisting of acircular disk; but in practice it may be of any desired shape, it simplybeing necessary that it be of larger area than the head 5, in order thatit may have contact with the grappling'arms some distance from theirhinges for the purpose of spreading them apart, as hereinafterdescribed.

The lever 11 is here shown as formed of a simple piece of wire of therequisite strength, bent at both ends into an eye, (one for embracingthe rod 9 and the other for forming a broad bearing for the thumb of theoperator,) and secured to the top side of the handle lby a staple, I2. 75

The operation of so much of the device as has thus far been described isas follows: The grappling arms being hinged so as to move with greatfreedom, they will naturally hang down until they bear upon the head 10,thereby drawing the rod 9 down as far as it is permitted to move andelevating the free end of the lever 11. It will of course be understoodthat the farther the extremities of these grappling-arms fall below thehorizontal plane of the head 5 the nearer they will approach each other,and it is this well-known mechanical action which is made use of ingrasping the pan. To grasp the pan, the grappling-arms are first spreadto their utmost, which is done 0 by simply depressing the free end ofthe lever 11, whereby the rod 9, with its disk 10, is elevated. Whilethe disk 10 is being elevated it impinges against the arms 7 and spreadsthem apart, the positions which the parts will have 5 assumed after thisspreader has acted being represented by the dotted lines in Fig. I. Theparts are held in these positions by maintaining the pressure upon thefree end of the lever 11 until the litter is placed over the plate whichis to be lifted, and in rather close proximity thereto, whereupon thepressure upon the lever 11 is released and the grappling-arms allowed tofall, so that their hooks will fall below the rim of the pan. Then, bylifting up on the handle, they will be drawn into contact, as shown infull lines in Fig. I. In addition to this arrangement for lifting, thedevice is provided with mechanism wherebythe pan may be turned aroundfrom time to time without withdrawing it from the oven, in order topresent all of its sides toward the fire-back, or that side of the ovenfrom which radiates the greatest amount of heat. For this purpose apinion, 13, is secured to the hollow shaft 4 between the gudgeons 3,with which pinion engages a second pinion, 14, secured to the end ofashaft,15, journaled in the handle 1. The handle is formed in two parts,ab, a being the handle proper, and b a short section at its extremity,constituting, in effect, a knob for turning the shaft 15, to which it isfirmly attached and by which it is held in place.

In order to avoid the expense of boring the section a of thehandle fromend to end, Iprefor to cut in the under side thereof a groove, 16, whichextends to within a short distance of each end, as shown in Fig. II, andfrom the extremities of this slot to the extremities of the section thelatter is perforated by boring, burning, or otherwise. Theseperforations form ample bearings for the shaft 15, which latter mayconsist simply of a piece of wire of the requisite strength. Havinglifted the pan, as already described, to turn it around, it is simplynecessary to turn the knob or short section b of the handle, which,acting through the shaft 15 and pinions 13 14:, will revolve the hollowshaft 4, to which the grapplingarms are hinged, the pan being of coursecarried around too.

To release the pan, the operation is the reverse of that necessary topick it up, and will be understood without further description.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Ina pan-lifter, the combination, with the handle and the hingedgrapplingarms having hooks and engaging by gravity with the pan, of ahead or disk situated between said arms, a lever fulcrumed to thehandle, and connection between said lever and head or disk, whereby thesaid disk may be brought into contact with and spread said arms whenelevated, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the handle and thegrappling-arms, ofthe hollowshaft having the enlarged head to which said arms are hinged, the disksituated between said arms, the operatinglevcr pivoted to the handle,andthe rod connecting said lever with said disk, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination, with the handle 1 and the grappling-arms 7, of thehollow shaft 4, having the enlarged head 5, to which said arms arehinged, the disk 10, situated between said arms, the rod 9, to whichsaid disk is secured, passing through said shaft, the bent lever 11,engaging said rod, and the staple 12, securing said lever to the handle,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a pan'liftcr, of a rotatable shaft journaled inthe handle and gear-whcels connecting said shaft with the pan-liftingmechanism, whereby the latter is revolved, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of-the handle 1, having the perforated gudgeons 3 3,the shaft 4,j0urnaled therein, and having the enlarged head 5, thegrappling-arms 7, hinged to said head, the pinion 13, secured to saidshaft 4 between said gndgeons, the pinion 14, meshing with the pinion13, and the second operating-shaft, 15 to which said pinion is secured,substantially as set forth.

ARTHUR M. BURNHAM.

Witnesses:

HENRY FARRINGTON, H. O. WENTWORTII.

